A publication of St. mary ’s home for disabled children
winter 2011
/ / C harity Begins at Home (arama )
“Placing Colton at St. Mary’s was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, but it was the best thing I could have ever done for him. He is now doing things that we never dreamed he would do. We are still in awe of the progress he has made since he’s been at St. Mary’s.” — Roxane Ward, a St. Mary’s parent, speaker at the dedication
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hen a doctor suggested that Roxane Ward place her son, Colton, at St. Mary’s Home because he needed services not available on the Eastern Shore, where the family lives, Ward was so mad she vowed to never see that doctor again. She fought her husband, friends and anyone else who supported the doctor’s plan but eventually agreed to give it a try. “As hard as it is for me to admit it, I know now that I could never give him the care at home that St. Mary’s gives him,” Ward said more than two years later as she spoke at the dedication of a special house that will benefit Colton and the other children of St. Mary’s Home. St. Mary’s was honored to have been chosen to benefit from the Charity House at the Tidewater Builders Association’s Homearama showcase of homes, which took place Oct. 1631 in Norfolk’s coastal East Beach community. Net proceeds from the sale of the Charity House will help St. Mary’s enhance the environment to honor the children's personal likes and dislikes, from redecorating their bedrooms to providing state-of-the-art
communication devices they can use to express themselves. The one-of-a-kind Charity House, a Mediterranean-style Dutch colonial home called “The St. Mary,” was designed by Cox, Kliewer & Co. and built by Scott Crumley of Crumley Group Inc. Professionals from the International Interior Design Association contributed the home’s interior design. St. Mary’s Home also threw a party to preview Homearama on Oct. 15, raising funds that will go directly to the care and comfort of the children and young adults who live at the home.
[ top left] Roxane Ward with her husband, Charles Ward, state Sen. Ralph Northam of Virginia’s 6th District (holding a painting created by a child at St. Mary’s) and the Wards’ son, Colton. [ top] From left, mermaid artist MarieAnn Messina, Tidewater Builders Association President Bill Halprin, Norfolk Vice Mayor Anthony Burfoot, St. Mary’s CEO William C. Giermak, East Beach developer Bart Frye, Charity House builder Scott Crumley and state Sen. Ralph Northam. The mermaid, sponsored by attorney Stephen M. Smith of the Brain Injury Law Center, is now at St. Mary’s Home after being displayed at Homearama.
F or more photos from Homearama, visit: www.facebook.com/StMarysHome
in this issue 2 | LEADING THE WAY
UNITED WAY CEO
3 | FROM THE BOARDS 4 | KIDS HELP KIDS
CHARITY HOUSE
5 | ST. MARY'S 5K
7 | VW BEETLE RAFFLE
6 | CLARK NEXSEN
BASKETBALL TEAM KIDS-A-RAMAS
BIOETHICS DAY CHARITABLE ROLLOVER
ABOUT US The mission of St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children is to provide quality, specialized care within a homelike environment for special children with severe disabilities, so each child can achieve his or her fullest potential.
from the top F RO M O U R C E O
// leading the way
“Three-hundred strong at St. Mary’s are involved every day with our mission: the care and caring for the precious children entrusted to us at St. Mary’s.”
This edition of the Guardian coincides with the end of a busy year that included the Fall 2010 Homearama, in which St. Mary’s was a proud participant. St. Mary’s is most grateful to the Tidewater Builders Association for choosing St. Mary’s to benefit from the proceeds of the sale of the Homearama Charity House. We are especially grateful to Charity House builder Scott Crumley, and the entire Crumley family, for taking the Home and our children into their hearts. Yet, while many of us at the Home are involved in outside activities, it is vitally important to remember that 300-strong at St. Mary’s are involved every day with our mission: the care and caring for the precious children entrusted to us at St. Mary’s. The nursing and therapy staff who work at St. Mary’s do a remarkable job of meeting the clinical needs of our medically fragile children. A large group of St. Mary’s
employees provide recreation and exercise and fun activities for the children. Our support services folks keep the facility operating 24/365. And, of course, the wonderful professionals from Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP) and the public schools do a great job meeting the educational needs of the children. We receive great support from our Board of Trustees, the St. Mary’s Auxiliary and the many generous members of the community who support the Home. As this newsletter was going to press, we learned that TBA has chosen St. Mary’s to benefit from the Homearama Charity House again in 2011. We truly appreciate the opportunity to project the Home into the community. While doing this, however, we keep constant attention on the difficult yet rewarding work of meeting the clinical, educational and social needs of the beautiful children entrusted to our care at St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children. Thank you, and Happy New Year to you and your families. // William C. Giermak
St. Mary’s Home recently welcomed:
Board of Trustees
Carol McCormack, the new CEO and president of United Way of South Hampton Roads. We are pleased to be one of the 70 worthy partner agencies supported by UWSHR. Standing, from left: Nicole Hoskins Jones, St. Mary’s director of recreational therapy services; Carol McCormack, CEO and president of United Way of South Hampton Roads; Mary Helen Hilton, St. Mary’s director of annual giving; William C. Giermak, St. Mary’s CEO. In front: Shanyla, who lives at St. Mary’s Home. // Photo by Re:Act Media
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Richard N. Knapp President Vincent A. Napolitano Vice President George L. Consolvo Treasurer Thomas W. Godfrey, Jr. Secretary
Carl M. Albero Michael P. Cotter Michael E. Duffy H. Gregory Kilduff Donald F. Price William J. Ripley Alvin J. Schexnider, Ph.D. Norma J. Taliaferro ----------Karen L. Hibbard Auxiliary president
Honorary Trustees Theodore J. Broecker George Compo Joan Damsey, FACMPE Sandra R. Gordon Daniel J. Hurley Thomas F. McPhaul Frederick J. Napolitano, Sr. Patricia Perry Cynthia Rector-Jones
St. Mary’s medical director is Joseph Toland, M.D., North Shore Pediatrics.
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messages from St. Mary’s Home
// Thank You to New Friends and Longtime Supporters a message from the board of trustees This issue of Guardian celebrates many accomplishments for St. Mary’s Home. Foremost, though, is the Charity House built by Crumley Group to benefit the Home. St. Mary’s was chosen for the first time to receive the net proceeds from the sale of the Charity House during the Fall 2010 Homearama. We are grateful to Trustee Vince Napolitano for nominating St. Mary’s and to the Tidewater Builders Association for their vote of confidence. Scott Crumley built a house worthy of the name “The St. Mary.” Scott and his entire family also have thrown themselves into supporting St. Mary’s. They have brought friends to tour the Home; their daughter began a Kid2Kid program for our children; and they have hosted events in their home to introduce St. Mary’s and the services that we provide. We are forever grateful for their generosity. New friends like the Crumleys – as well as longtime supporters – will serve St. Mary’s well as we plan for the future of the Home and how we can continue caring for the children and young adults to the best of our abilities. Thank you. // Richard N. Knapp, president
[ left ] Scott Crumley, builder of the Charity House, and his wife, Janette Crumley. All the builders dressed up in formal wear for the Homearama Preview Party on Oct. 15; Scott made his outfit extra-special with a shirt decorated with handprints of children at St. Mary’s Home. [ right ] The VW Beetle to be raffled to benefit the children arrived at St. Mary’s Home in August and went on display in the lobby. Gathered around the car are, from left, Kamaia, Amonte, Director of Development Martha Stewart, Auxiliary Board President Karen Hibbard, Jahmari and CEO William C. Giermak, all of St. Mary’s Home, and Todd Collins, general manager of Checkered Flag’s Hyundai/Volkswagen division, and Christine Knowles, eMarketing director of Checkered Flag Motor Car Corp., Inc. Seated behind the desk is receptionist Delores Curry.
/ / A u x iliary B oard H elps C hildren , W ith Y our H elp a message from the auxiliary board The mission of the Auxiliary Board is to improve the lives of the children and young adults at St. Mary’s by providing necessary items for their care. In 2010, the Auxiliary was able to equip the Home with defibulators, purchase respiratory therapy equipment and fund a specialized walker that has enabled several of the children to become more mobile and independent. In addition to providing funds for medical needs, the Auxiliary also enjoys supporting social events that the children enjoy, such as summer camp, graduation and prom. This is all made possible by our generous and loyal supporters. The Auxiliary Board would
like to thank our friends at Checkered Flag Volkswagen for donating a beautiful 2010 Beetle to be raffled at our 6th Annual Gala and Auction in February. St. Mary’s is so grateful for the support from Checkered Flag Volkswagen over the past several years – especially the support of General Manager Todd Collins, who has become a great advocate of St. Mary’s. He even stepped in at the last minute to serve as the bike lead for the One-Mile Fun Run after St. Mary’s 5K in October. Checkered Flag also is the top sponsor of the auction. You can support our cause by purchasing a raffle ticket today at www.saintmaryshome.org and planning to join us for the festivities of our annual gala on Feb. 19, 2011. Thank you. // Karen L. Hibbard, president
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news & events / / St. Mary ’s C harity H ouse and I I DA Team U p
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/ / Kids H elp Kids Volunteer Jenna Crumley at the Kid2Kid Chalk the Walk event at St. Mary’s in summer 2010. // photo by Janette Crumley
Over the summer, 9-year-old Jenna Crumley watched her father, Scott Crumley, and his company, Crumley Group, build the Charity House at the Tidewater Builders Association’s Fall 2010 Homearama; proceeds from the home’s sale will benefit St. Mary’s Home. She also watched her mother, Janette Crumley, get very involved with the project. And when Jenna took a tour of St. Mary’s Home, she was inspired to help too. She started the Kid2Kid program for children from Hampton Roads to reach out to the children of St. Mary’s. Jenna’s friends have joined Kid2Kid. They held a “Chalk the Walk” event at St. Mary’s, decorating the walkway to the bus with colorful pictures. They also donated party materials to the children and held fundraisers, such as selling lemonade. One girl asked guests to bring donations to St. Mary’s instead of gifts to her birthday party. So far, Kid2Kid members have raised more than $1,000 for St. Mary’s, while making new friends.
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hen a team of talented interior designers meet for lunch, creativity and generosity are on the menu. Members of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) collaborated over weekly lunches for months to help Scott Crumley accomplish one-of-a-kind results on the unique house he built. When the four-bedroom St. Mary Charity House is sold, the net proceeds will go to the children and young adults who live at St. Mary’s Home. Crumley volunteered to build the Charity House for the Tidewater Builders Association 2010 Fall Homearama in Norfolk’s East Beach development. St. Mary’s Director of Development, Martha Stewart, offered to ask a group of designers she knew for assistance. Stewart and Deborah McDonald, a longtime friend of St. Mary’s and professional member
of IIDA, presented the idea at the IIDA annual meeting and a group of volunteers gladly signed on. With just four months instead of the typical year to build a house of this quality, having the interior designers volunteer their time and business contacts to finish the house and courtyard was extremely helpful. IIDA volunteers included Hampton Roads interior designers Lisa Kelly and Carole Wydur and architect Leslie Russell from Cox Kliewer & Company, designers Erin Brazier and Ginger Pinckard from Clark Nexsen Architecture & Engineering, team leader Deborah McDonald from Image Business Interiors and designers from as far away as Richmond. (a version of this article also appeared in the newsletter of the International Interior Design Association)
[ below ] The St. Mary, the Charity House at the Fall 2010 Tidewater Builders Association Homearama. Net proceeds from the sale of the house will benefit the children and young adults of St. Mary’s Home.
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athome / / Supporters H elp S t. Mary ’s 5K Break Records
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ore than 500 runners and walkers registered for St. Mary’s 22nd annual 5K, plus One-Mile Fun Run, on Oct. 2, and more than 170 people from St. Mary’s and the community signed up to volunteer, creating the largest turnout for the race in recent memory. The event raised more than $28,000, a record. This was St. Mary’s first race in Norfolk’s East Beach community along the Chesapeake Bay, which also was the site of the Fall 2010 Homearama. Participants raced through the lovely neighborhood and passed by The St. Mary Charity House built to benefit St. Mary’s Home. Jacey Byrne, the special events coordinator at East Beach, helped pull the event together, and East Beach also generously provided use of the Bay Front Club for the after-race party, while the Tidewater Builders Association donated Homearama tickets to the 5K registrants and volunteers. The Team Hoyt-VB running club had 50 participants – including children and young adults with disabilities from St. Mary’s and the
www.saintmaryshome.org
news from St. Mary’s Home
St. Mary’s would like to thank our sponsors for their crucial support.
community – in jogging strollers, plus a record 70 people pushing those strollers. After the race, the team surprised everyone with a $1,000 donation to the Home. St. Mary’s would like to thank our sponsors for their crucial support. Portfolio Recovery Associates was the first-ever title sponsor for the race and also had 60 associates, including their CEO, Steve Fredrickson, sign up to run or walk. Other sponsors were Clark Nexsen, Commonwealth Financial Partners, West Home Health Care, Checkered Flag Volkswagen, PF&A Design, Luna Development, Abbott Nutrition, Children’s Specialty Group, Jo-Kell, Rutherfoord, Capital Concrete, Coastal Orthotics, Global Healing Therapies, McKesson, NRW Engineering, Q.E.D. Systems, Norfolk Stationery, Selden Optometry, Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley and Witt Mares.
[ left ]Winners received special awards: artwork created by the children and young adults of St. Mary’s Home, with help from the Home’s activities staff. // Photo by Gary Jones [ right ] Tommy was among a number of children and
P ortfolio Recovery A ssociates Runs Up S upport for S t. M ary ’ s:
Chris Graves, right, teamed up with Michael Wagner and John Lugo (not pictured) from the Team Hoyt-VB running club to help push Angela West, left, with Young Life Capernaum-Hampton Roads, a ministry for children with disabilities, in the Allen Stone Memorial Run-Swim-Run event on July 18, 2010; three children from St. Mary’s Home also took part in that race. Graves is a senior vice president for Portfolio Recovery Associates, longtime friend and supporter of St. Mary’s Home. In 2010, PRA was the Pink Diamond sponsor for the Auxiliary Auction and Gala on Feb. 20 and also the Title sponsor for St. Mary’s 5K on Oct. 2. St. Mary’s Home is grateful for PRA’s continued support.
young adults from St. Mary’s Home who took part in the 5K with Team Hoyt-VB, which runs with people with disabilities. // Photo by Gary Jones
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news from St. Mary’s Home
/ / thank you Clark Nexsen Helps with Day of Caring, and Beyond
// Basketball T eam V isits St. M ary ’s The men’s basketball team from the College of William & Mary visited with children at St. Mary’s Home on Sept. 22 and showed off their skills. Players and coaches took aim at an enlarged hoop in St. Mary’s Atrium and helped the children take some shots as well. St. Mary’s CEO William C. Giermak and CFO Wayne Jones, both William & Mary alumni, welcomed the team and gave them a tour of the Home. Giermak also played for the Tribe men’s basketball program, as did his father, Chet Giermak. Watch a video of the event:
http://youtu.be/5K52aS0PPHM
Employees from Clark Nexsen volunteered inside and outside at St. Mary’s Home on Sept. 10 for the annual United Way Day of Caring, but the company and its staff also generously support the children and young adults of St. Mary’s in other ways.
Ginger Pinckard and Erin Brazier, both interior designers with Clark Nexsen, volunteered their time and expertise to the Homearama Charity House to benefit St. Mary’s. Clark Nexsen also sponsored St. Mary’s 5K fundraiser for the second year.
[ above right ] While some Clark Nexsen employees helped beautify the grounds during the Day of Caring, others worked inside, assembling communication books that give teachers and students a systematic way to communicate with each other in St. Mary’s classrooms.
[ above left ] Garrett and other children and young adults shot hoops with members of the William & Mary men’s basketball team.
/ / C hildren from St. Mary ’s, and Other Kids , Have F un at Homearama
There was something for everyone at Homearama, even the kids. St. Mary’s staff held two Kids-a-Ramas – with games, arts and crafts, book readings and more – during Homearama. Children from the Home and from the community transformed coffee filters into flowers and butterflies, turned tissue paper into stained “glass,” decorated mermaid coloringbook pages, built houses out of craft sticks, created bookmarks, plucked toy ducks out of a pool to win prizes and played ring toss and cornhole.
“The children who live at St. Mary’s do many of these same activities, with some modifications to make them therapy-based,” said Nicole Hoskins Jones, St. Mary’s director of recreational therapy services, who organized Kids-a-Rama. Local Target stores donated supplies for Kidsa-Rama and Target team members volunteered to help with the programs.
[ left] Broderick, who lives at St. Mary’s Home, tries to fish a toy duck out of the pool, with assistance from Stephanie Bailey, a recreational therapy assistant at St. Mary’s (yellow), and Target team member Betty Hollowell (red). // photo by Nicole Hoskins Jones 6
news & events
/ / beetle raffle You Could Drive Off in This Beautiful Car – and Help Children
Looking for a special gift for that special someone for Valentine’s Day? S t. Mary ’ s at B ioethics Day:
Bruce Scherzinger and Roxane Ward, who each have a child at St. Mary’s Home, participated in a family-focused panel discussion at the Bioethics Day conference on Nov. 18 at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk. They shared their experiences raising children with disabilities. St. Mary’s CEO William C. Giermak also spoke at the conference, which was presented by the hospital and St. Mary’s Home.
news
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Charitable Rollover Extended
Raffle tickets are still available for this beautiful salsa red VW Beetle, in just the right color for romance. Checkered Flag Volkswagen donated the car to benefit the children and young adults of St. Mary’s Home. But don’t delay, because only 800 tickets will be sold, at $50 apiece. The winning ticket will be drawn during the Auxiliary Board of St. Mary’s 6th Annual Gala & Auction presented by Checkered Flag Volkswagen on Feb. 19 at The Westin-Town Center in Virginia Beach. You need not be present to win, but we’d love to see you there. F or raffle tickets or more information:
check out S t. M ary ’ s You T ube page :
call (757) 622-2208 ext. 381 or visit St. Mary’s website at www.saintmaryshome.org
www.youtube.com/StMarysHome to watch a video of the Beetle arriving at St. Mary’s Home.
The federal government has temporarily extended the individual retirement account (IRA) charitable rollover through Dec. 31, 2011. That means that starting at age 70 1/2, taxpayers can direct up to $100,000 per year from their IRAs to eligible charities without counting the distributions as income for tax purposes. Taxpayers who make IRA charitable rollover gifts in January 2011 also may count those gifts toward the 2010 tax year. If you are interested in discussing the tax advantages of making such a gift to St. Mary’s Home, please consult your financial and tax advisors and contact St. Mary’s development office at (757) 622-2208 or (800) 237-6555. For more news visit
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED If you’d like to help children with severe disabilities receive the very best care and live in a cheerful, homelike environment, you can make your life-altering gift online at www.saintmaryshome.org, call 757.622.2208 or 800.237.6555, or send it, with our deep thanks, in the envelope provided with this newsletter.
Facebook www.facebook.com/StMarysHome Twitter www.twitter.com/StMarysHome YouTube www.youtube.com/StMarysHome Blog www.saintmaryshome.blogspot.com
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in the news
The Guardian is published by the nonprofit St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children. If you have questions or comments, contact the editor, Sonja Barisic, at 757.352.2700 or sbarisic@smhdc.org. “THE HAMPTON ROADS SHOW,” Fox-43 TV, Sept. 28, 2010
A dozen St. Mary’s employees were on camera in the studio audience to promote St. Mary’s 5K and the Fall 2010 Homearama Charity House to benefit the children. HAMPTON ROADS MAGAZINE, October
Article about St. Mary’s 5K and the Fall 2010 Homearama Charity House to benefit St. Mary’s Home. THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT, Oct. 10
Front page of “Gracious Living” section featured an article and photos about the Charity House. WVEC TV-13 newscast, Oct. 13
CEO William C. Giermak was interviewed for a story about Homearama and the Charity House. FM99, Oct. 23
The Norfolk radio station posted a short video tour of St. Mary’s Home on www.fm99.com, featuring morning personality Rick Rumble. The station also ran about 200 complimentary ads for St. Mary’s Home in October, courtesy of Checkered Flag Volkswagen, and auctioned a guitar signed by rock star Slash to raise money for the children. THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT, Nov. 6
“Home” section article about the Kid2Kid program started by Jenna Crumley, the daughter of the Homearama Charity House builder, to reach out to the children and young adults of St. Mary’s Home. ALTDAILY.COM, Dec. 9, 2010 St. Mary’s was featured in the “Spotlight on Giving Locally” column. WVEC-TV newscast, Dec. 21 Story about employees of the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bringing Christmas presents for the children and singing holiday songs. 8
WTKR NewsChannel 3 anchor Barbara Ciara, right, was the keynote speaker at St. Mary’s graduation on May 7. “You walk in here and you’re just enveloped by the love and the caring,” Ciara said. Kim Kelly, left, gave the parent tribute during the ceremony and thanked the staff for loving and caring for her son, Greg. “Angels really do exist,” she said. “They exist right here.” Greg presented a bouquet to his mother during the ceremony and also used his computerized communication device to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in a surprise for his mother and the staff, family and friends gathered in St. Mary's Atrium. UPCOMING EVENTS through
02/26/11
Chesapeake Bay Watercolorists Winter Watercolor Show, at St. Mary’s Home
The public is invited to come to the Home between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to see the paintings. St. Mary’s will receive 40 percent of sales. 02/19/11 6th Annual Gala & Auction, 6:00 p.m., The Westin Hotel, Town Center-Virginia Beach
This fundraiser by The Auxiliary Board of St. Mary’s Home is presented by Checkered Flag Volkswagen. This year’s festivities feature a raffle for a salsa red VW Beetle courtesy of the dealership.
For raffle tickets or sponsorship opportunities or to donate auction items, contact Karen Hibbard, 757.622.2208 ext. 381 or klhibb@cox.net. fall 2011
23rd Annual St. Mary’s 5K, plus One-Mile Fun Run, date to be determined
For information, contact Sonja Barisic, 757.352.2700 or sbarisic@smhdc.org.
// For more mentions of St. Mary’s Home in the news, see www.saintmaryshome.org. To obtain copies of articles, contact Sonja Barisic, 757.352.2700 or sbarisic@smhdc.org.